To Be Great
by Noxy88
Summary: What would the magical world look like if it was ruled by a group of elite witches and wizards: the Greats? And what would happen when a lone, orphaned boy was determined to become the Great? Follow Harry Potter as he enters into the playing field of titans.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so this is a story idea that I've had for a little while, but have started working on recently. I had planned on not posting it for a while, just so I wouldn't stop halfway through like I have done with other stories. **

**Before you start reading, I did change up the timeline some. Triwizard isn't until Harry's 5****th**** year. And Umbridge doesn't have a place in this story. However, neither of those things matter too much, as apart from this first chapter, everything takes place after Hogwarts. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

Every culture in the world was made up of a social system. Every culture had a social ladder that determined how a person would live. Possessions, vocation, and even religious standing determined the where one stood on the ladder. The wizarding world was like every other culture in the world. Its caste system, however, focused on pure magical power.

This magical power was measured on a scale that most called a Merlinian Scale. It measured power from zero to one thousand. A wizard was scaled generally three times in his life. First at eleven when he entered a magical school, after his first magical growth spurt. Second at age seventeen, after the second growth spurt. The final test was around age twenty-eight. The final growth spurt generally occurred a couple years prior, but a wizard's magical core continued to grow at a much slower pace for a couple more years.

The lowest of the system were the squibs. They held so little magical power that they were considered outcasts, almost as low as muggles. Just above the squibs were blood traitors, wizards who had betrayed their family and lost much of their power. Then came the average witches and wizards.

Above the average wizard came the skilled. They were above average talent and skill than most. Then came the masters. Masters were extremely skilled in their branch of magic. They generally ended up teaching or researching the branch of magic for a living.

Then were the Mages. These wizards made up the Unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries, hit-wizards, and international duelers. They were strong enough, smart enough, and skilled enough to go toe-to-toe against almost any other magic user and come out victorious.

Except for the Greats. The Greats were the gods of society, the invincibles. If dueled against, they wouldn't simply beat a Mage. They would crush a Mage without thinking twice. These societal gods wielded immense power. This power could level mountains and destroy armies. They held knowledge so vast, that what they knew was more of a mystery than magic itself to most normal wizards. On the Merlinian Scale, a Great wouldn't be rated. No numeric value would be given, instead the word 'Great' would register.

Merlin, Morgana le Fay, Nicolas Flamel, Albus Dumbledore, Gellert Grindelwald, and Tom Riddle were just a few of the renowned names of Greats.

Harry Potter was determined to be the next.

~~*~~ _In Diagon Alley_ ~~*~~

"The man who gave you that scar, Mr. Potter, did great things. Terrible, yes, but great nonetheless," spoke the grey man with large pale eyes. His eyes lit up when he spoke again, "Now, let's find you a wand that will do equally great things."

~~*~~ _Hogwarts' Sorting Ceremony ~~*~~_

"_Mr. Potter, I wondered when I would rest upon your head,"_ an old, curious voice spoke into his head. _"Now where to put you? I see loyalty, bravery, intelligence, and ambition. Yes, you would fit anywhere. Though I better put you where you will be great – _

"SLYTHERIN!"

~~*~~ _First Year ~~*~~_

It was well past curfew when Harry found the mirror. 'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi' was written across the top of the elegant golden frame. One look onto the reflective surface and Harry knew it showed more than just his likeness. He stood tall, powerful, imposing. His eyes were filled with fathoms of knowledge. An aura of powerful magic pulsated around him. He was not Harry Potter, first year. He was Harry Potter, the Great.

~~*~~_ End of Second Year ~~*~~_

Basilisk venom and phoenix tears had mixed within his blood. A wave of his hand produced an emerald flame hovering before his face. A smirk settled onto his face. His own blood was a focus for his magic.

~~*~~ _Summer Before Third Year ~~*~~_

"Back again Mr. Potter? I hadn't heard you needed your wand replaced," the old man spoke, his curiosity piqued.

"I don't. I wish for your assistance in creating a second."

"Dual-wielding? Only ever Emeric the Quick accomplished such a feat."

~~*~~ _Beginning of Third Year _~~*~~

"Welcome to Ancient Runes," the elderly Professor Babbling began, "Runes are the among the most misunderstood, complex, and difficult branches of magic. With runes, you can ward your house, enchant anything to be indestructible, or create any spell you choose. This will be your most challenging class. Leave now if you feel unprepared." Nobody moved.

~~*~~ _Beginning of Fourth Year _~~*~~

"I have the pleasure to introduce to you Professor Gideon. Professor Gideon will not be teaching a class, rather a very serious club: Hogwarts's own Dueling Club. To join, one must be a fourth year or higher, maintain an Exceed Expectation in every class, and have written recommendation from one's head of house. Anymore questions should be directed towards Professor Gideon after we finish this delicious looking meal."

With that, the headmaster retook his seat at the center of the staff table. Fourth year Harry Potter smirked. A simple leather band held his long black hair back. His deadly green eyes shone enthusiastically at anyone who dared look into them. A cherry and pine wand with a dragon heartstring was strapped to his right arm while a simple larch wood wand with only his blood as a core was strapped to his left. Dressed in all black dragonhide, he cut an imposing figure.

For three years, Harry remained at the top of his class, despite the efforts of those around him, most notably Hermione Granger from Gryffindor. Last year, Harry enrolled in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. He had taught himself a basic, rudimentary form of occlumency over the summer.

One look to his head of house, Professor Snape, and Harry knew that he would be recommended whether or not he asked.

~~*~~ _Fourth Year _~~*~~

"Mr. Potter, I'd like a word with you."

The grizzly old professor that led the Dueling Club motioned for him to stay behind. It was only the first meeting in which they had fought many mock duels. Harry idly wondered why he was being held back. "Tell me about your wand," the warrior ordered.

"Eleven and a half inches, pine and cherry with a dragon heartstring core. Excellent for new spells and excessive power," he replied almost automatically.

"Your other wand." Silence. "Mr. Potter do not attempt to act shocked. You dueled as if you were only half of a whole. Your left hand twitched constantly. And you used wandless magic. Now tell me about your other wand and why you neglected using all of your advantages in your duel against Miss Granger."

"It's ten inches made of larch wood. My blood is the core. It's attuned to me and no one else." Harry paused for a moment before continuing, "Professor, I'm a Slytherin. Some have even called me the Slytherin Mage. But the fact remains that I am a Slytherin. A true Slytherin never reveals all of his secrets if he can manage."

"Your blood as a core? Only components of magical creatures are used for cores. And they are never liquids."

The question imbedded was obvious to Harry. But after his short description of a true Slytherin, he couldn't go sharing his every secret. He simply smiled and made his way to the door, saying over his shoulder, "Only one person knows that secret, Professor. I'd like to keep it that way. Good evening."

~~*~~ _Fifth Year _~~*~~

The flaming cup flared once more causing a single slip of paper to shot into the air. Dumbledore caught it deftly and opened it. "Harry Potter." Damn.

~~*~~ _Graveyard, Fifth Year _~~*~~

"Ahh, Harry, how nice of you to join us," a slippery voice said the moment the portkey dropped Harry off. Harry glared at the trophy before looking towards the voice. Voldemort stood tall, in the middle of the graveyard. A large tomb with the name 'Tom Riddle' engraved on it loomed behind the reptilian man.

"I'm glad to see you found a way to become physical again, Tom," Harry taunted immediately while getting to his feet.

Riddle simply smiled at the taunt. "Well I am a Great, Harry. It is almost expected of me to live."

Harry scowled at the reminder. Tom Riddle was a Great. That meant that Harry had to keep him talking if he wanted to get out alive. Harry wanted to be a Great, but he had only had one of his three magical growth spurts. Tom had had all three. "So how did you do it?"

"Harry, I've heard that you take after me more than you think. You're an orphan, Slytherin, and parselmouth. You're an outcast in school, yet a prodigy in classes. You should know that a true Slytherin never reveals all of his secrets."

"Ah, it was worth a shot. I want to be a Great, so I figured any advice would help." Looking back on it, Harry would laugh at the conversational feel of the interaction. This was one of the worst dark lords in history, and Harry was talking to him like any other person.

"Greats never share their secrets either. Why do you think we remain Great?" Tom said. Harry could tell his time had run out though. "Enough talk. Lord Voldemort, one of the fabled Greats, against Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived and Slytherin Mage. This will be a duel of epic proportions."

"Terms of engagement?"

"To the death. Now bow Harry Potter."

And he did. It was a simple nod of his head towards the reptilian man before he readied himself. Then the duel began. Harry was horribly outmatched from the start. He managed to shield against most of the spells sent at him, dodging the ones he couldn't.

He needed a way out, desperately. He had a bad feeling that the trophy was only a one-way portkey. A quick summoning charm with his second wand proved the theory. Apparition might work, but Harry wasn't confident in his abilities despite knowing the theory behind the skill.

A tombstone exploded, blowing Harry backwards. He only managed to stand before a cutting curse hit about his knee and a blasting curse hit his shoulder. He spun to the ground, and the dust finally settled, revealing the Dark Lord once more.

"Harry, I must apologize for your dream of becoming great ends tonight. You must know that you surprised me. Goodbye Harry Potter." A green light began to grow at the end of the opposing wand. Harry thought hard before he disappeared with a pop.

~~*~~ _End of Fifth Year _~~*~~

"You dueled a Great to a standstill?" Professor Gideon seemed shocked.

"No. I dueled him until he was going to kill me before I was forced to try and apparate away. It was my first try, so I'm surprised I only lost my arm. I'm just glad Rosmerta has to deal with drunk travelers splinching themselves often."

"Now you want my help." It wasn't a question.

"Put me with the seventh years next year. I need to improve."

"You dueled a Great to the point where you could escape. None of the seventh years will stand a chance against you. I will think of a unique plan for you this summer."

"Thank you Professor."

~~*~~ _Beginning of Sixth Year _~~*~~

Five people. Five people elected to take NEWT Ancient Runes. There was Harry, Hermione Granger, Daphne Greengrass, Terry Boot, and Sue Li in the nearly empty classroom. "Welcome to the NEWT level Ancient Runes course," Professor Babbling began like normal.

"This year and next year will be different than the years prior. For your NEWT exam, you will have to come up with a project and complete it over the next two years. I will provide specific research material. There are five of you left. You are the five who I believe have the maturity to take this seriously. Now begin."

Harry smirked, knowing exactly what he would do. He pulled out a spare sheet of paper and drew a single circle with a line from the top of the circle to the center.

~~*~~ _Sixth Year _~~*~~

"I need to speak to Croaker."

"You think you can just walk into the Ministry and expect to talk to an Unspeakable? You're either really stupid or really have guts for a kid."

Harry smirked. This man at the Ministry check-in reacted exactly how Harry expected. "I have a feeling that he will want to talk to me. Tell him Gideon sent me."

The check-in man didn't even have to send a notice. There was simply a distortion in the air before a man with peppery grey hair appeared before Harry. "Gideon, you say? Well Mr. Potter, I am curious."

"I have a project involving runes. I need your help."

"Runes, eh? Let me show you to my office. We will discuss this there. While we are there, I believe there is something important for you to hear."

~~*~~ _End of Seventh Year _~~*~~

"Mr. Potter, never before have we seen results like yours," the headmaster spoke kindly, "Outstandings in every subject on your OWL's and NEWT's. You've created multiple spells and potions. You've even managed to master wandless magic and dual wielding, if Professor Gideon is to be believed. And I see here that you have a reference from Unspeakable Croaker in the subject of runes, notably, not ancient runes."

Harry remained silent, so Dumbledore continued, "I must ask how."

"Albus Dumbledore the Great," Harry spoke the title as if testing it on his tongue. "You know how. Everything that goes on in this castle happens under your watchful eye."

A twinkle entered the old man's eyes. "Alas, you are right, Mr. Potter. I believe that I have yet to thank you for eliminating the basilisk years ago. I am sorry for not sending Fawkes faster though."

For anyone smart enough such as Snape and Gideon, both of whom were in the room, the secret behind Harry's wandless magic was just revealed.

"I'm afraid I don't see where you wanted this conversation to go, Headmaster."

"I want to know what you wish to do after you leave here."

"You will see me soon, Headmaster. I plan to join the international dueling circuit."

"I know you have been called the Slytherin Mage, but you haven't even hit your third growth spurt. Is that wise?"

Harry smirked and turned to leave. "I haven't heard that moniker in a year, Headmaster. I'm known as the Slytherin Great."

~~*~~ _Nott Manor, Two Weeks Later _~~*~~

"They call him what?" Voldemort hissed out. Theodore Nott Junior quivered slightly in the face of the Dark Lord.

"Th-the Slytherin Great, sir," he stammered out, "They say he has worked with Unspeakables and that he even defeated you in our fifth year." The younger Nott spoke no more as his life was extinguished by the sickly green light of the Avada Kedavra spell.

"He is of no consequence," Tom Riddle announced to his Inner Circle as they sat in the Nott family dining room. Each of the twelve staunchly ignored the body of the young adult in the room. "If you see him, kill him, but do not hunt him."

"Milord, if I may," a slow but respectful voice came from a couple seats to Lord Voldemort's right. At the Dark Lord's nod, the Potions Master spoke again, "I was called into a meeting with Dumbledore and Potter being his head of house. Potter intends to join the circuit."

A cold chilling laugh erupted from the reptilian man at the head of the brilliant oaken table. "Ahh, you see?" he began, "He is going to become a legendary dueler. He will be dead by his first World Tournament. Now Severus, was anything said about him dual-wielding?"

"I'm afraid not, Milord. Either Dumbledore is unaware of that particular ability or he already knows of the secret and felt no need to address it."

"Well done Severus, well done. Theodore, if your elves are ready, I believe we are ready to eat."

~~*~~ _Unknown Location, Same Time_ ~~*~~

"The Slytherin Great you say?" an old wizened voice asked.

"Yes sir," a younger man spoke.

"And what qualifies him as a Great before he has hit maturity?"

The younger man hesitated before he spoke. Delivering news to those as powerful as his leader was a dangerous task. One always had to be mindful of what he said and how he said it. "He competed in and won the Triwizard Tournament against others two years his elder. In the same tournament, he supposedly defeated the self-proclaimed Lord Voldemort. It is also known that he regularly visited the British Department of Mysteries in his later years. Most recently, he was scaled at 741, though I doubt that even he knows about that. He broke every record on every OWL and NEWT that he sat."

"And what are his plans now that he has graduated? Does he intend to make his place permanent with the Unspeakables?" The younger man nearly sighed in relief. The legendary Great wouldn't be killing him today.

"Rumors say that he is joining the circuit. I was unable to confirm that though."

"Watch him. I don't want him in a duel without someone watching it. If he is to be a Great, then he has more up his sleeve than we know."

**Okay, I hoped you all enjoyed that. It is simply the prologue, the next chapter should be up within the next week or so, depending upon how much time I have to write. I wish you would all review, I'd love to know your thoughts. But if you were to review any single chapter, go with the next chapter so I know what you think of the premise. **

**Additionally, I have news on other stories. Ruled By Secrecy shall be going up for adoption shortly after I post this chapter. The structure of the story isn't sound. There isn't a good enough plot for me to want to continue and I truly do not want to create some cliché wannabe dark lord villain just to make the story workable.**

**Blind Loyalty, however, will continue. I just have writers' block for that particular story for now. I know where I want it to go, I just have to get it there in a reasonable pace. I don't want to rush it. So I'm stuck trying to write meaningful filler and smaller setup. For my fellow writers out there, I'm sure you sympathize with me.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**~Noxy**


	2. No Apologies

**Okay, so I know it took me a while to get this out. I have an excuse though. Actually I have many. First off, I basically entirely changed then entire story since I posted the prologue. Second, I'm about to move into college, so that's been time consuming. Finally, I was surfing about a week after I posted the prologue and a wiped out and lost part of my finger (no joke, I am missing the first joint of my left index finger).**

**Also, I generally like having a soundtrack like thing for writing. The song I listen to for each chapter will most likely become the chapter title. This is also me encouraging you listen to this song to get the mood of the chapter. Or how I see the mood…This song is No Apologies by Bon Jovi.**

**Anyways, here is this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

~~*~~ _Ten Years Later, Cairo, Egypt_ ~~*~~

Twenty-seven year old Harry Potter appeared without a sound on the sandstone street in magical Cairo. All around him, people bustled from place to place in the crowded bazaar. Smells of fresh bread and fowl assaulted the air. Additionally, buyers and sellers alike haggled for better prices creating only more chaos.

To his right, a single pop was heard over the commotion as his two companions apparated next to him. He didn't have to look at the pair to know that Duka, the South African native, was releasing his grip on the shoulder of their other companion: Silas.

Harry had met the two while traveling to an exhibition tournament in the Congo four years ago. Neither planned to compete in the event, rather stopped to watch after they spent two weeks in the jungle. The two had known each other for years prior to Harry meeting them. Despite their close bond, Harry quickly grew close to the duo.

And an interesting trio they made. Young Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Slytherin Great, dueling extraordinaire; Silas, the mute, and Duka, the shapeshifter. It was one reason why Harry liked the two so much: their magic. They were living proof that magic manifested itself in countless ways.

Duka could not cast a spell. He could not apparate. No magical foci would respond to him no matter how hard he tried. Yet, he could transform into any mundane animal at will, making him one of the only true animorphmagus in the world. That was why he relied on Silas to apparate him various places.

Silas likewise depended on Duka for most forms of communication. The two had developed a strong enough bond that Duka could interpret his thoughts at almost a glance. Having been born mute, Silas had also developed a strong wordless magic arsenal. To aide his magical prowess, he used a wand made from the bone of an erumpent. He took the heartstring and exploding fluid from the horn of the same beast as a core. Harry was sure that if he competed in tournaments, he would destroy almost anyone he faced.

Since Harry had met the two though, they had become nearly inseparable. Silas could break down an opponent better than anyone Harry had ever met, including his old dueling professor from Hogwarts. Duka helped translate anything Silas wanted to confer. In turn, Harry provided the brute force behind many of the two's escapades as they often traveled into the depths on magical jungles or ruins looking for various artifacts and forms of magic. Harry was the soldier while they were the scholars.

Or at least, that's how Harry felt a lot of the time. It wasn't the most accurate description of the trio as they all were greatly interested in learning more about magic and all were perfectly capable of defending themselves. But, Harry was stronger than the two, magically speaking. So he provided any magical prowess the duo needed.

As it was, they were in Cairo for the Pharaoh Duels, one of the Big Three tournaments of the year, not one of the many advanced research expeditions they took. The three tournaments occurred every summer, starting with the Pharaoh Duels in June. The next one was the Salem Witch Trials in Salem. The final one was the World Tournament. And it was a long road just to compete in the three.

First, one had to win a tournament in their home country. Hundreds turned out for each of the weekly tournaments. Of course, this was the easy part. Anyone who was a skilled wizard could win against the weaker wizards who dueled in those tournaments.

After winning a home tournament, one could then participate in what was known as the International Dueling Circuit, or the IDC. The IDC consisted of hundreds of official dueling tournaments all year round, in almost every country around the world. Duels no longer had rules or restrictions on spells as they did in home tournaments. Deaths became a common thing. A wizard had to place in the final four duelers twelve times within a year in order to get to the Big Three. Once you qualified, however, you remained qualified for ten years.

The Big Three was were the Greats played. Rarely did anyone who was less than a Mage ever participate in a Big Three tournament. If they did, they were almost always dead after their first duel. Only the top percentile of Mages ever made it in the Big Three. And of those, a small handful survived in the World Tournament.

Harry, however, was smarter than most other wizards. He qualified for the Big Three almost five years ago, before he met Silas and Duka. Yet he never participated until last year where he came in fourth place in the Pharaoh Duels and won the Salem Witch Trials. He avoided the World Tournament that year, knowing that he would only get stepped on by the Greats that competed there. This year, however, Harry planned on winning all three.

It had only ever been done by a couple people, all of them Greats.

Returning to the present, Harry quickly found the line that would lead to the registration tent. He sighed as he saw the length of the line. It would take a couple of hours of waiting before Harry would get registered to duel.

Due to the demanding prerequisites one had to meet in order to duel, many witches and wizards attempted to register without being eligible. It meant much longer lines and many unwanted displays of apparent prowess. Unfortunately, it would still take another week for the registration to come to an end. During that time, exhibition duels would be held in the stadium for the entertainment of those attending the tournament.

"Alright," Harry said as the trio walked away from the registration tent two hours and forty-seven minutes later, "How about some kushari?" His suggestion for food was met with great excitement from Silas and Duka and the three hurried off to find a place selling the traditional Egyptian cuisine.

"_Blood magic is a rarely used, yet extremely powerful form of magic. What makes blood magic so powerful is that the wizard, or blood mage as they are often called, sacrifices his own blood to power the spells, wards, or transfigurations. The blood acts as a more direct vessel for the wizard's magical core through the foci the wizard is using. This passage through blood allows for more magic to be harnessed in the spell._

"_Like most rare magicks though, blood magic has a serious setback: the sacrifice. A blood mage has to let his blood flow for the duration of whatever spell or transfiguration he uses. As such, blood mages often avoid extended conflicts in order to avoid unnecessary damage through blood loss._

"_Many wizards, however, find that the extreme power that blood magic provides is simply not worth the sacrifice. As such, blood mages are rare and hard to find."_

Harry sighed and looked up from the book he was reading: Power Through Blood. It was Wednesday, halfway through registration week. Duka and Silas had asked if they could make a visit to the library in Alexandria. It didn't take much convincing for Harry to agree. The magical side of the library was equally extensive as the mundane side.

He thought back to what he had just read though. Blood magic wasn't made for duelists. Long, difficult fights left blood mages dead or dying. In fact, Harry had only ever met one blood mage through his travels and dueling. He distinctly remembered the mage bleeding out during their duel, allowing Harry the easy victory. Still, the man was extremely powerful, of that Harry would not deny.

"Harry," Duka's African accent broke through his thoughts as the dark-skinned man at a nearby table gestured to many scrolls he was pouring over with Silas, "If you would please."

With another sigh, Harry rose and joined the two, looking over Silas' shoulder to see the words on the page. What he saw was multiple manuscripts written in languages Harry was unable to decipher, a large tome, and a detailed map of the Mediterranean in ancient times. He thought he recognized ancient forms of Greek and Egyptian though. "I'm assuming that one of you understands these because none of them are runic."

Silas looked offended at Harry's words. Despite being mute, the man had managed to learn multiple different written languages and even more translation charms than Harry knew existed. The grey-haired mute leaned forward and tapped on a piece of parchment where he had written notes one each of the manuscripts in English. Before Harry could read it though, Duka began explaining,

"Each of these documents talks of a labyrinth. The first is the first known written story of Daedalus building his labyrinth for the King Minos. The second is an account of another Greek labyrinth on the small island of Lemnos. The third is of one built in Ancient Egypt near the Delta. The fourth is an account of Lars Porsena's death, who supposedly was buried in another labyrinth. That one," Duka pointed to the only book on the table, "is Natural History by Pliny the Elder. It speaks of all four labyrinths."

"And you think they are all connected?"

"Harry, in each case, the labyrinth was built by an empire. Each of these empires were in power at the same time, just in different places around the Mediterranean. We know from other historical accounts that the Greeks and Egyptians were extraordinary wizards. The Etruscans, while slightly barbaric, weren't any less powerful. Who's to say that the three didn't come together in this project? The Greeks put a Minotaur in there. What would be better to guard the Pharaohs of Egypt or Porsena, the Etruscan war general?"

"I'm unconvinced. What do the Greeks get out of this and why would the Egyptians and Etruscans trust each other or the Greeks?"

This time, Duka didn't immediately respond, rather Silas did. He grabbed his notes and handed them to Harry pointing to a specific section, which Harry read over quickly. They detailed how the labyrinth would have been built around 500 BC. Two hundred years later, Alexander the Great took control of the piece of Egypt that held the Labyrinth. Another two hundred years later, the Etruscan Empire fell and the Roman Empire officially came into power. Harry glanced at Silas' side note stating that Rome was believed to have been founded by Romulus, who was of Greek descent.

Harry still wasn't convinced. "But how? You guys are talking about a structure that was built beneath the sea."

Silas pointed to the very bottom of his notes where a large word was written boldly: Atlantis. The underwater city. The people of the city survived underwater, even expanding their city and making it undetectable to the mundane world. It provided proof that an underwater section of the labyrinth wasn't unthinkable.

"So what do you two want to do about it? This doesn't sound like our normal, everyday jungle expedition."

"Harry," Duka began, "there is thousands of years' worth of treasure down there. Kings, Pharaohs, generals were all buried in this labyrinth. A Minotaur, the first Minotaur, was placed as a guard. The combined magicks of Greece, Egypt, and the Etruscan civilization lie in the passages. Magic that has been lost and forgotten for thousands of years."

"Yeah, you say that about every adventure we go on. I don't want to be convinced. I want to know what the plan is."

Duka was about to speak when Silas placed a new piece of parchment in his hands. Duka read over it quickly before saying, "Silas believes that we will be under for a month at least. We will need food and supplies for longer. We need to be prepared for a large colony of minotaurs and any other traps. He suggests that we hire a freelance cursebreaker to join us. And he thinks it would be easier to enter into the labyrinth through the entrance at Ancient Knossos."

Harry nodded. "We're in Egypt now, so a good cursebreaker shouldn't be hard to find. Get everything else in order as well. You have as long as you need, but we don't leave until after the World Tournament."

Hard, rocky sand exploded in Harry's face as the Aussie, a wizard by the name of Daryl Jones, sent an exploding curse at the ground beneath him. Harry remained unfazed as he conjured up a thick marble wall to block the likely follow up spells. Within seconds, the wall began to tremble violently as large chunks crumbled away. It was Harry, however, who destroyed his barrier with a piercing hex designed to pierce through the skins of animals like trolls and dragons.

The marble shattered like a pane of glass, which Harry banished at his opponent. Not allowing the Aussie a moment to breathe, he then followed up with a spell chain made up of cutters, blasters, and bone breakers. Nothing particularly deadly, but the man just had a marble wall exploded in his face.

"You know," Daryl spoke, coughing slightly once the dust cleared. Harry was pleasantly surprised to see him still standing. "When I registered, I actually prayed that I would not have to duel you, Potter. I had rather hoped that you would be absent from the tournament."

Harry simply smirked, "Then you lost before you even entered the pit." With that, Harry sent a torrent of spells that caught the Australian off guard and ultimately rendered him unconscious.

Within moments, someone with the aid of a soronus charm announced, "Harry Potter is the victor!" Harry nodded and waved to the crowd as he made his way out of the arena to where Silas and Duka were sitting.

The tournament progressed from there, finishing half of the first round of the tournament within the first day of dueling. The second day commenced at first light and continued on until nearly dark. Halfway through, however, Silas tapped Harry's shoulder and pointed to one of the current duelists.

Her name was Lanie Hahl. She was called the Baby Great. She was stronger than most mages, but not yet a Great, stranding her in the middle of the two tiers. Lanie was a lot like Harry in the fact that she took her time while advancing through the IDC. This was only her first appearance in a Big Three tournament, though Harry knew she qualified the same time he did.

It was curious that he had never before dueled her despite being in many of the same tournaments. Curious, but not unheard of. A wizard could duel someone five times in two months and not duel another five times in five years. It was how the system worked.

As it was though, Lanie was thrashing her opponent with a barrage of cutters, many of them extremely deadly. She was a specialist type of duelist. She had an affinity for cutting curses and she used them with terrifying precision. Many of her opponents were left without limbs or lives.

"She will be the other finalist," Duka said, translating for Silas. Harry nodded silently as he waited for the rest of what Duka would confer. "She's fast, deadly, and extremely powerful. If you get hit by one of her cutters, you get hit by five others. But, she's predictable. Cutters are easily blocked and she hesitates before she uses anything other than a cutter."

Despite the years spent with the two, it still amazed Harry how Duka could get all of that from a couple hand motions and looks from Silas. That in itself was practically magic.

Over the next few days, Harry dueled an American wizard and two German witches, all of whom fell before him. In between his duels, he watched as Lanie Hahl also fought her way through her competitors. After each match, Silas would tap his shoulder. Harry didn't need Duka to translate that.

A week and a half after his first match, Harry would finally duel for the title of champion. As he looked across the dueling pit at his opponent, he almost cursed Silas. He was almost never wrong with this sort of thing. Lanie Hahl stood off against him.

The moment the announcer signaled the beginning of the duel, Harry was casting spells at an alarming rate with each of his wands. His opponent avoided each spell and responded with just as many cutters.

For minutes the two rained down spells. What once was an immaculate dueling pit of hard-packed red rock and sand now looked much more akin to dragon's habitat. The ground had exploded, leaving huge chunks of red rock around the pit. Sand began to heap up in dunes in various places. But neither dueler managed to land a spell, something Harry was not happy about.

In his sixth year, his NEWT Ancient Runes class was given a project that would count as their NEWT grade. Harry, who was fascinated with runes immediately decided what he would do for his project. After many hours of research, long talks with Professor Babbling, and many weekend stays in the Department of Mysteries, Harry succeeded in his project: the creation of an entire runic alphabet.

Battle Runes he called them. The alphabet was designed to be written in air by wands rather than by quill or carver on a solid surface, making them one of a kind. Even more unique was the fact that each rune had the same base drawing, making them much easier to combine and use under the pressure of battle. Battle runes he called them and battle runes they were.

He only stopped casting for a quick second before he began to draw the runic sequence he wanted. With only ten quick runes, the ground between himself and his opponent began to quake. People in the stands began screaming in terror as those walking were thrown from their feet.

Then, the ground rose. Red rock softened and molded back together into the shape of an angry Ukrainian Ironbelly. The stone dragon immediately focused in on the American girl and let out a long stream of bright yellow flames. More screams arose from the crowd.

But Lanie remained even after the flames, though the tips of her blonde hair was singed. Harry watched as she began to defend against the dragon, using first her forte of cutting curses. When that failed, she resorted to blasters, all the while avoiding flames and deadly stone claws.

Chunks of the dragon started flying off as Harry's opponent started to put more power into her blasting curses. With each chunk, the dragon only got angrier. And then, Harry entered back into the fray, casting an explosion curse towards her feet every few seconds to keep her off balance. His plan worked as a minute later the dragon landed a strike with its left claw and sent Lanie flying to the opposite end of the dueling pit where she hit the wall with a resounding 'THUD'.

Her entire side looked pulverized and her eyes clearly showed shock in them. Despite all of this, her eyes locked on Harry. "Harry, save me."

Harry froze in his casting. It was a traditional statement used in the Circuit. When a dueler was mortally injured or was about to die in the case of giant dragons like Lanie, they would ask for their opponent to save them. It was honorable, if asked, to save the dying duelist.

And so, Harry quickly banished his runic creation and made his way to his fallen opponent. It took quite a few healing spells and even more time before Harry deemed her well enough to be looked after by the medical staff there.

He walked to the center of the arena where he was dubbed the champion of the Pharaoh Duels.

~~*~~ _Hogwarts, That Night_ ~~*~~

"Anything from Voldemort?"

"He only needs to place a handful more people in the Ministry and obtain the vampires' alliance before he strikes. I do not think the Ministry will last until this time next year. The rest of Britain will soon follow." Severus Snape said slowly.

Dumbledore nodded, his ever-present twinkle was gone from his eyes. "Is there anything that can be done?"

"Short of killing the Dark Lord himself, no. He has too many followers in too many places for anyone to know even half of his forces. I'm honestly surprised Europe hasn't fallen yet, much less Britain."

"We need Harry. He is the only one who can stop Voldemort and end this war."

"He is in the Circuit. And he's not going to come back on a demand from you or me. He needs to be convinced, and that won't be easy."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed with his Potions Master, "It is a shame that Gideon disappeared three years ago. He is the only one I can think capable of such a task. Unless one from his own class was to go."

Snape snorted, "And send who? Nott and Zabini are both dead. They were the only ones he associated with. And I highly doubt that he would welcome Weasley or Malfoy with open arms."

Dumbledore thought for a moment before saying, "What about—"

"No. I refuse to allow you to send my goddaughter."

"I must ask why not?"

"She is a Charms Mistress not a Duelist!"

"She is an Unspeakable, Severus. Do not degrade Miss—"

"I said no."

Dumbledore, however, was no longer listening to his colleague as he calmly began writing instructions on a piece of parchment. "Izzy!" he called out moments after he finished writing. A diminutive house elf popped into existence immediately. "I need you to take this to Grassy Knoll. Thank you Izzy."

Severus Snape simply glared at the esteemed headmaster the entire time.

~~*~~ _Unknown Location, The Next Night_ ~~*~~

"You summoned me?"

"Yes, I did," the old man in front of her responded, "You were beaten today."

It wasn't a question, and Lanie Hahl was unsure if there was a proper response. Still, she had to say something, "Yes. Potter is—he is Great."

The man seemed to contemplate her answer for a second before saying, "I fear you are accurate in your description. I believe that he will be scaled as such come August. Tomorrow morning I would like to know everything that you know about him. I think you will have completed your task then. You are dismissed."

Lanie nodded her head and hurried from the room, remembering her brush with death the day before.

**It's rushed. It jumps around a lot. Yeah, I know. I don't have a beta and I've been trying to get this out ASAP. This chapter will most likely be rewritten soon. So check the ANs in upcoming chapters to see if it has been. **

**Despite the obvious flaws, I do hope you all enjoyed it! **

**~Noxy**


	3. AN

**Okay, this isn't a chapter. I hate A/N's too, but you will just have to suffer through this one. **

**First off, I have gone through and edited the previous chapter. I added one thing in terms of storyline/mini-plot that you guys should read. Other than that, I just cleaned up the chapter A BUNCH. Yeah it was pretty messy before, still is a somewhat, but I'm only human.**

**Second, I know that this is an A/N. I understand perfectly well how that makes most people feel. Luckily, the next chapter should be out within a week, depending on how classes go. So, if you could just remain patient for a little longer and not crucify me for my little author's note, I would greatly appreciate it.**

**Thanks, **

**~Noxy**


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